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Hugh Poulton: Who are the Macedonians? xvii,

218 pp. London: C. Hurst & Co., 1995. £25 (paper
£12.50).

H. T. Norris

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies / Volume 59 / Issue 03 / October 1996,
pp 572 - 573
DOI: 10.1017/S0041977X0003086X, Published online: 05 February 2009

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H. T. Norris (1996). Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 59, pp
572-573 doi:10.1017/S0041977X0003086X

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572 REVIEWS
an ejective consonant (p. x) should be altered immediately checked the Georgian of Zosime's
to 'one for which, in addition to the buccal 'Praise and magnification of the Georgian
closure, the glottis is also closed, both closures language' when towards the end Rayfield's
then being released almost simultaneously to source has ' 104 years' against the '94 years'
produce the acoustic effect of sharpness'—if of the version with which I was familiar (viz.
no air were emitted and one kept one's vocal S. Q'ubaneishvili's Jveli kartuli lit'erat'wis
cords shut, one would asphyxiate oneself! In krest'omatia ' Chrestomathy of Old Georgian
the table of the five archaic letters of the literature', 1,1946,416). The Aorist Subjunctive
alphabet (p. xvi) I would suggest for the second damc'ardes is translated (p. 141) as a perfect,
character a scientific transliteration of ' ey'. I 'has turned bitter', but must surely be either
cannot interpret the reference (p. 1) to 'the future ' will turn' or the expression of a wish,
Christian Greek order' (sc. of the Greek 'may it turn', and the same may be said of
alphabet) as providing the explanation for why viq'vnet (p. 143), which should be either 'shall
the letter representing the sound [v] in we become?' or 'are we to become?' rather
Armenian should occupy the 30th position in than 'we have become'.
the Armenian alphabet (as against the The present volume will long serve both
digamma's sixth position in the Classical Greek interested amateurs and professional scholars
alphabet accounting for the Georgian letter vin of Georgian (that such a dual audience is
occupying the sixth slot in the Georgian envisaged is clear in the reference to both
alphabet). On the same page the original writers and their works by use of English and
digraphic representation of the vowel [u] is Georgian forms), furnishing them with both
stated to have evolved into a single letter in the hours of pleasurable reading and many
miniscule nuskhuri script—this is true, but the thought-provoking insights from a committed
Georgian representation of it given here is and entertaining specialist who is never
actually its mkhedruli form (viz. 3), whereas frightened to say what he really thinks. I am
what we need is the k'utkhovani graph n|. The happy wholeheartedly to recommend it.
introduction of alien participial constructions
into Old Georgian (p. 11) is correctly ascribed GEORGE HEWITT
to Greek influence, but subordinate-clause
constructions are as natural to all four
Kartvelian languages as they are to Indo- HUGH POULTON: Who are the
European tongues. In the 'Praise and magni-
fication of the Georgian language', running Macedonians? xv'n, 218 pp. London:
across pages 19-20, the c'ili, translated as C. Hurst & Co., 1995. £25 (paper
' part' (p. 20, 1. 3) is actually here the name of £12.50).
the fourth from last letter of the Modern
Georgian alphabet and so should be rendered Hugh Poulton's latest book will be of a
c'il(i) in the translation. The Greek itdprvpos special interest to Balkan specialists and to
(p. 40) is given minus its accent; though it didthose who are concerned with ethnic conflicts
indeed mean both 'witness' (Classical fidprvs) in Eastern Europe. Very little has been pub-
and 'martyr' (Classical /xdprvp), according to lished in book form on Macedonia in this
Liddell and Scott the word is rare and virtuallycountry in recent times. This fills a vacuum
confined to Homer. admirably. Poulton's study will be indispensable
for students and for governmental and aid
Lazica (p. 56, foot) seems to be defined as agency researchers whose access to the sundry
though it were coterminous with modern-day source material which he provides—some of it
Lazistan, running along the Turkish hinterland published in Skopje, Sofia, Sarajevo, Salonika
from Rize (rather than Trebizond) to the and Ankara—is severely limited and even non-
Georgian border at Batumi, but in the period existent. Poulton is an expert on the subject,
under discussion, when Georgian sources refer but he differs from others who have a detailed
to it as egrisi, it extended from somewhere knowledge of Macedonia in his specialist
between Trebizond and Rize around the coast knowledge of the countries which surround it,
to include today's Georgian provinces of Ac'ara or rather ' besiege' it, on every side.
and Guria, as well as Mingrelia, eventually The author's scholarly background is in
abutting Abkhazia, the central portion lying Turkish studies and his knowledge of' Turcica'
between the rivers Ch'orokhi and Rioni. I is extensive. As a consequence, his book can
would be very reluctant to rely on the figures be recommended to Ottomanists (ch. iii,
of five million speakers of Georgian being ' Group identity in the Ottoman empire: from
reduced to two million (p. 98)—how do we millet to nation', in particular) and to all those
know? Would not the definition offered of the for whom 'The Near East' in its widest and
verse-form mukhambazi (p. 134) as 'a five-line classic sense is a prime focus of attention.
verse where the fifth line has the same rhyme Macedonia has characteristics shared with the
in all verses' be improved if supplemented by Caucasus, with Cyprus and the Levant. One
the illuminating schema given in the 11-volume may note, in passing, the presence of Armenians
Georgian Encyclopedia as 'aaaaa, bbbba, and Circassians (pp. 32-3), Turks (pp. 137-41
cccca, etc..'? The historian-geographer and passim), the Jewish community which was
Vakhusht Bagration is mentioned (p. 138), formerly dominant in Salonica (pp. 42-7) and
though we are not informed of the title of his sundry local Muslim communities which
important work, nor where we may consult include Albanians (pp. 182-91 and passim),
it—in fact, I would have liked to have seen Torbashis (pp. 195-7), Vlachs (pp. 136-7) and
throughout more information of this sort 'Egyptian' Romas (pp. 191-5). Every page of
appended to works mentioned and/or trans- this book has something to say about one or
lated, so that, for instance, I could have other of these largely Muslim groups in what
 REVIEWS 573
is at heart a strongly Orthodox people. The basis for his investigations into Rumi's theolo-
approach is principally historical, geographical gical approach. Trained as a theologian and
and political. Ancient history is glanced into, orientalist he is in a position to put Mawlana's
but the content is at its most thorough when prophetology into the central place where it
discussing the post-war period and recent belongs, and many of Mawlana's numerous
events (pp. 78 onwards). The central conflict of allusions to the prophets offer a fascinating
Greek claims over the true identity of the new picture of the various aspects of a prophet's
republic is discussed in great detail. Objectivity role. Thus, the book will be an eyeopener for
and personal sympathy are well balanced. An many of Mawlana's admirers.'
important issue, also discussed here, is the role Renard draws attention to three main
currently being played by Turkey in the Balkans approaches which have characterized Jalal
which is symbolized by the project for a new al-DIn Rumi studies in recent times: the Sufi,
Via Egnatia to link Albania with Turkey the poetic and the theoretical, the latter tracing
through Macedonia and Bulgaria, whose view such aspects as Neoplatonic influences in his
of each other is discussed. work. Yet he believes little attention has been
Islam per se is central to ch. iii, and here given to Rumi's prophetology and, to rectify
some attention is paid to the Arab world where this, Renard gives us eight chapters which
relevant, and to current debates between nation- 'look at Rumi's insights into the meaning of
alism and religious priorities in the wnma, with the second half of the basic Muslim creed,
a discussion of the similarities and differences
between what is taking place in Macedonia and namely the nature and function of revelation
in the ex-USSR. A comparison with Alexandre through prophets.' The author proclaims Rumi
Bennigsen's writings proves rewarding here as a 'Muslim miner, sifting the rare earth of
(p. 30, n. 10). Apart from some detailed studies Islam's prophetic lore'.
on Sufi orders in Macedonia (for example, After examining the role of Rumi in the
A. Popovic's, Un ordre de derviches en terre history of Islamic prophetology, via the five
d'Europe, Lausanne, 1993, 106-29, reviewed in headings of historical, philosophical, theolo-
BSOAS, LVIII, 1, 1995, 219) the only general gical, theosophical and mystical prophetology,
introduction to Islamic practice and belief is and identifying the thematic image of the
Niyazi Limanoski's short study, Islamskata royal falcon in Rumi's prophetology, Renard
Religija i Makedontsi Islamiziranite (Skopje, entitles his second chapter ' Flight of the royal
Makedonska Kniga, 1989). Other works may falcons'. Here he assesses 'the dynamics of
have been published recently though none is prophetic revelation'. How do the prophets
easily obtainable. Only occasional reports on relate to the world to which they are sent?
the Muslims in Macedonia have appeared in What constitutes the nature of revelation? In
the press, hence this book is an essential what way are the prophets mystics as they
reference. relate to God?
The book is attractively printed. Its con- The succeeding four chapters then provide
densed content surpasses in substance many a in-depth studies of Rumi's treatment of four
more massive and more costly tome. The two of the major prophets of Islam, Abraham,
maps included set the bounds on the ' historical Joseph, Moses and Jesus with the latter (ch. vi)
Macedonia' which has yet to be defined and also embracing a number of other Gospel
accepted. The book ends on a remarkably figures. Renard ends, logically enough, in his
positive note. One hopes that the author's penultimate and final chapters by examining
predictions will be fulfilled, and not only for the Muhammad of history and the Muhammad
the Macedonians. of faith, as the founder of Islam is treated,
H. T. NORRIS albeit unconsciously, by Jalal al-DIn. ' It seems
clear enough that the poet was very much
aware of Muhammad both as an historical
figure and as an ongoing presence.' Renard
JOHN RENARD: All the king's falcons: asks, in an 'Afterword,' about Rumi's real
Rumi on prophets and revelation. views on prophets and revelation. His conclu-
sion is that 'where the Qur'an employs the
xviii, 216 pp. Albany, NY: State prophetic stories chiefly as moral exampla,
University of New York Press, Rumi the teacher uses the prophets and their
1994. $16.95. stories as a convenient reservoir of familiar and
attractive images with which he catches the ear
Professor John Renard's book, a revised and of his listener .... What Rumi is really selling
abridged Ph.D. thesis originally presented at is a vision of the relationship of the divine to
Harvard University in 1978, takes its title in the human and of a way homeward. Prophets
part from a qasida by Sana'I (d. 1131) in which and their deeds thus become metaphorical
the poet writes: guideposts.'
'The falcon prays: "O Lord, protect the Renard has written a fascinating, and very
Prophet's community in their faith and well structured, volume which differs refresh-
keep them secure!" ' ingly from the mainstream of preoccupations
in Rumi studies. His careful analysis and well
For Renard, the prophets are the ' Lord's royal documented chapters constitute a useful model
falcons'; his book, fundamentally, is a study for an examination of the prophetology in
of Rumi's prophetology. In her foreword to many other of the great mystical writings
the volume, Professor Annemarie Schimmel of Islam.
notes: "The reader will be grateful to John
Renard that he has chosen this topic as the IAN RICHARD NETTON